Take on the Challenge of Welfare Appeals

NEWS RELEASE

PN10/05 4 November 2010

TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE OF WELFARE APPEALS

A substantial number of Social Entitlement Chamber judges are being selected to deal with welfare appeals, in the first vacancies for three years with eight times more positions available than in the last recruitment exercise.

The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is inviting applications from today for 84 fee-paid judges of the First-tier Tribunal, Social Entitlement Chamber (Social Security and Child Support). The last recruitment was in 2007 for 10 posts.

The judges appointed will sit on appeals involving some of the most vulnerable people in society, and will need to ensure the parties receive a fair hearing and a just and transparent decision is reached. There will be a particular focus on medical issues with many cases concerning Disability Living Allowance as well as Employment and Support Allowance. Incapacity Benefit was replaced by Employment and Support Allowance as part of the Government’s welfare reforms.

The 84 positions, all for immediate appointment, are across every region: The South East, Central, North East, North West, Wales and South West, Eastern region and in Scotland.

For further information contact Rebecca Astles on 0203 334 0329

Editors’ Notes

1. This exercise opened for applications on 4 November 2010 and the application materials are available to download from our website www.judicialappointments.gov.uk

2. The application window closes at noon on 25 November 2010.

3. This post is open to solicitors and barristers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, advocates or solicitors in Scotland, and Fellows of the Institute of Legal Executives, with five years post qualification experience (PQE), or any person who in the Lord Chancellor’s opinion has gained experience in law which makes them as suitable for appointment as if they satisfied these criteria.

4. The JAC came into existence in April 2006 with a statutory duty to select solely on merit and to have regard to the need to encourage diversity in the range of people applying for appointment.